Jessica Shyu, now in her second year with Teach For America, is a special education teacher at an elementary and middle school on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Once a journalism student from the Washington, D.C., area , she has since traded the Beltway for the sprawling mesas of the Southwest. In this blog, Jessica will chronicle the good, the bad, and the occasionally amusing of being a young teacher at an underresourced school in a rural community.

Second-year, still sick

Sorry folks, I have the flu/cold. So much for staving off sickness after one year in the trenches.

I will be writing the next entry in the next day or two on uncertified or alternatively certified teachers. As a Teach for America teacher who is still working toward an alternative license, I am admittedly biased. If you have any insights or opinions on this issue, please leave a comment. I'm interested in hearing views from people on all sides.

6 Comments

I truely enjoy reading about your experiences. They remind me fondly of my 4 years teaching in an isolated Cree community in Northern Alberta, Canada. Where ever you go when you leave there these experiences will remain with you for a long time if not forever. Continue the story I follow them with joy.
Harold Cotton

I ran across your blog unexpectedly, I was deleting unneeded edweek mail when, "On the reservation..." caught my eye. I am a Navajo woman working as a substitute teacher in Las Vegas. I know many Non-Native teachers who come thru the reservation, most with genuine interests in promoting education on Indian reservations, but a few who just "need experience" and loan forgiveness, before they start their "real" jobs elsewhere. Your blogs are filled with positive and sincere thought. Thank you for imparting your knowledge and culture on our Native children. Thumbs up to you!

In terms of uncertified vs. certified teachers, I know it is getting harder and harder with state requirements to be a certified teacher because of all the hoops we have to jump through. It's enough to scare people away from teaching; people who otherwise would be great educators.

PS- I love reading your blogs because as a second year teacher with one too many activities/ clubs/ committees/ tutoring sessions going on at school, it's nice to hear I'm not the only one who feels like they're going nuts.

I look forward to reading your blogs as I can relate, I've wrote before I am a second year teacher on the Navajo rez in Bloomfield, NM. I completed the alt. licensure program and feel good about the education received, but at the same time feel rushed and still questioning my preparation. There were so many philosophies, best practices, and learning styles to cram in I can't even remember most of what I learned. I really want to re-read my texts but when do I find the time.

I'm a counselor at the same school that Miss Shyu is teaching at and she is definitely an inspiration to me about constantly being professional and busy, busy, busy. I can definitely vouch for her being as busy and she is, and yet always smiling and hanging in there. Thank you Miss Shyu for all that you have done and continue to do. ;)